Annie Linskey has picked up an interesting story in Baltimore this morning. The Maryland chapter of the NAACP has asked state legislators to remove Governor O’Malley’s power to appoint a success to Mayor Sheila Dixon who is facing corruption charges.
Several things going on here. This shows that the black community in Baltimore has no faith in O’Malley, Dixon’s predecessor as former Mayor of Baltimore. Marvin Cheatham, president of the Baltimore NAACP chapter, even goes as far as saying:
“Here you have a predominantly African-American city. What if the governor appointed somebody white? … Would he appoint someone Irish to be the mayor?”
This reveals how black leaders view O’Malley in Baltimore City: an opportunist who made plenty of promises to their community while running for Mayor, and, once elected, began plotting his campaign for governor. I can’t say I blame them.
Nevertheless, to make this statement now adds a little more to the already considerable racial chasm in Baltimore. The fact is, this move is unecessary. As Linskey reports, the city’s charter overrides the state constitution on this matter, and the city council president would be appointed Mayor in case of Dixon’s removal.
More racially-charged politicking in Baltimore City.
